Bridging the Gap at the Farmers Market: Making Fresh Food Accessible for All

By Sara Orr

At 27 years old, the Saint Augustine Amphitheater Farmers Market is a cherished place for so many people and the artistic, welcoming, and diverse community of St. Augustine is reflected through this market every Saturday morning.

For about seven years, the farmers market has offered those with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits the ability to use them at the market. Not only that, but thanks to the Florida Fresh Access Bucks nutrition incentive, the market can match any amount of SNAP money a customer uses, which doubles the total amount the customer is able to spend. 

Katie and Nick Provow, who began running the farmers market in 2017, are responsible for spearheading this initiative. As former farmers themselves, the Provows understand the desperate need for fresh food accessibility for lower-income communities. In 2022, 39 million people lived in low-income areas that were more than a mile from a supermarket in urban areas or 10 miles in rural areas, according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

“I just had a woman recently who came up with her SNAP card for the first time,” says Mollie Krug, marketing assistant for the market. “She had just gotten out of this abusive relationship; she was a single mom, she didn’t have much money, and she was trying to get her feet on the ground. I told her about the SNAP program and she ended up coming back with her card and using it. I felt so moved, especially by the fact that we were able to double what she pulled from her SNAP funds.”

This program is also aiding lower-income elderly people who live in St. Johns County.

“Most seniors get SNAP [though many do not use it, as they do not know they are eligible]. It’s not much, only about $16 a month, but being able to double it, we can improve the impact,” says Provow. “With isolation being such an issue for seniors, the market is such an incredible place for them to come and engage in the community.”

Currently, the biggest challenge with this initiative is making it accessible to SNAP users, since the market takes place in an affluent area of St. Johns county.

“Because of historical and systemic racism and classism in St Johns, lower-income communities have been pushed to the side with roads, bridges, and railroads in their way,” says Provow. “We are figuring out a balance of being a tourist attraction in an affluent place, so we are getting in the weeds figuring out how to serve the poorer people of St. Johns County. The SNAP program bridges that gap.”

They have recently welcomed Josh Thompson from the Old Beach Bike Riders Association, who provides free bike safety checks and repairs at the market. This helps to not only promote bike ridership but also make the market more accessible to those without cars.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s a wealthy, well-established realtor or a mom on SNAP with $15 in her bank account; they both made the same commitment to come to the market every Saturday morning to find healthy food and be in touch with their community,” says Provow.

The farmers market is a place where community, culture, and commerce blend together.

“There is no class system at the farmers market. Everyone is going there to serve their own purpose,” says Mollie Krug.

As awareness of the SNAP program grows, it will become more accessible. Last year alone, $25,000 was spent through SNAP and Fresh Access Bucks.

“Overall, that’s money that is spent at the market that wouldn’t have been without this program,” Provow says.

The St. Augustine Amphitheater Farmers Market is deeply intertwined with St. Augustine’s growth.

“Everything that has grown and changed in St. Augustine in 27 years has grown and changed with the market, too,” Krug says. “From a quiet parking lot at 6 a.m. to a bustling marketplace by 8 a.m., the transformation is remarkable.”

Looking to the future, the market eagerly anticipates the “Peace Out Pie” contest and auction on March 15, a fundraiser supporting Pie In the Sky, an organization working to fight senior hunger in St. Johns County. This pie contest is just another way the farmers market is giving back to its community and fighting food insecurity.